Screech said:
Ok, Firstly, I wanted to paint the board before the components were placed on the board.
You will need to mask all the soldinrg points, so you will need a solder mask screen made from your PCB artwork. This is a comon mask, available in most layout programs.
Does the paint have to be static resistant?
Don't think anyone sells static resistent paints.
Antistatic paint would likely be conductive enough to cause problems in many circuits, it is often the same paint used for sheilding, so it is just carbon laden paint. Not likely what you want or need.
Where do you buy silk screen paint for pcb's?
Thanks
Many art supply stores sell silk screen inks and supplies, and there are some who will do artwork for screens, and even make screens for you. This is not all that cheap though, especially for a small project. Silk screening is an aquired talent, probably more than you want to do for a single board.
There are solder mask pens available that you can use to mask holes before painting with a spray can. This would work if it was not too complicated a board. These pens are sold by places like Digikey, etc. the are for rework and touch up during repair. This may be an option. Some pens are alcohol solvent, some water based, depending on the process needed. You apply the pen's fluid to anywhere you want covered, then paint, then remove the pen marks with either water or alcohol depending on the pen.
If it is worth it, you could check out a PCB maker that specializes in "prototype" runs of PCB's. They often have a flat rate for a certain board size, so what ever you can fit into the area, you can get done in one shot. This can include plated through holes, reflow of traces, soldermask, and part labels. There are a few online places that do this, you send them the files from a PCB program, and they send you back finished boards.
To do it yourself, you will need a bit of set up, and if it something you are not likely to do very often, it may be cheaper and more efficient to have someone do it for you. I know this takes all the fun out of it, but if it is a "one-off" you have to consider the materials and equipment investment to do it yourself.